Barrow County

LANGUAGE

The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.

Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000

1990

2000

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Only English

26,555

97.60%

39,973

94.21%

Spanish

340

1.25%

1,035

2.44%

Other Indo-European*

164

0.60%

518

1.22%

Asian Language**

142

0.52%

882

2.08%

Other

7

0.03%

21

0.05%

Total Population Age 5+

27,208

100.00%

42,429

100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

528

51.01%

Other Indo-European*

218

42.08%

Asian Language**

544

61.68%

Other Language

6

28.57%

Total

1,296

3.05%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

185

54.41%

Other Indo-European*

23

14.02%

Asian Language**

47

33.10%

Other Language

7

100.00%

Total

262

0.96%

* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."

** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.

Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.